IRC: 67-2012

CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ROAD SIGNS

(Third Revision)

IRC: 67-2012
 3. CLASSIFICATION OF ROAD SIGNS
Road signs are classified under the following three heads:

3.1 Mandatory/Regulatory Signs

 All Mandatory or Regulatory Signs are circular in shape,
 They are with red circular ring and diagonal bars with black symbols or arrows or
letters on white background,

Prohibitory Operational Compulsory

Regulation Control direction control
Note: The exceptions in shape are the octagonal red STOP sign and the triangular GIVEWAY or
YIELD sign. These two signs provide indication about right of way to drivers.

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3.2 Cautionary/Warning Signs
 Cautionary/Warning signs are triangular in shape with red border and black symbol in white
background,

Cautionary/Warning Signs
3.3 Informatory/Guide Signs
 All Informatory signs and Guiding signs for facilities are rectangular in shape,
 It shall be a symbol within a rectangular board with blue background,

Facility Information Direction Information

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 4. SITING OF SIGNS WITH RESPECT TO THE CARRIAGEWAY
4.1
 Normally the signs shall be placed on the left hand side of the road.
 For two lane roads, normally the signs may be placed on the left side of the carriageway,
repeated on the other side of the carriageway, if local conditions are such that the signs might
not be seen in time by the drivers.
 For multilane divided roads the signs may be placed on left side of each carriageway.
 In case of hill roads, the signs shall generally be installed on the valley side of the road, unless
traffic and road conditions warrant these to be placed on the hill side.

4.2
 On all roads with or without kerb and with or without shoulder, the extreme edge of the
ground mounted sign adjacent to the roadway shall be at a distance of 600 mm to 3 m from
the carriageway or paved shoulder edge depending upon the local conditions.
 For roads with kerbs, it shall not be less than 300 mm away from kerb line, but in no case shall
any part of the sign come in the way of vehicular traffic.
 Gantry mounted signs should be mounted on columns preferably 7 m or more from the
nearest traffic lane, unless otherwise specified.
 If there is a situation where this lateral clearance cannot be maintained, the column of gantry
sign shall be shielded with W-Beam crash barrier for required run out length depending upon
the setback distance between the pavement edge line and column of gantry.
 Lesser clearances but not less than 1.8 m may be used on connecting roadways or ramps at
interchanges.

4.3
 On kerbed roads, the bottom edge of the lowest sign shall not be less than 2.1 m and not more
than 2.5 m above the kerb,
 On roads without kerb, the bottom edge of the lowest sign shall not be less than 2 m and not
more than 2.5 m above the crown of the pavement,
 Where signs are erected above footpaths or in areas likely or intended to be used by
pedestrians, minimum headroom of 2.1 m is to be provided.

4.4
 Where in the opinion of the competent authority, a sign would be ineffective if placed on the
left hand side shoulder of a road with dual carriageway, it may be placed on the median
instead,
 To improve the visibility of the signs on multi-lane roads, the minimum height of the lower
edge of the sign should be kept as 2.5 m above the highest point of the carriageway.

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 Table 4.1 Height and Clearance Required for Sign Placement

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8.5. Colour pattern for direction information signs is given in Table 8.3

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 11.2 Letter size on definition plates attached with normal sized signs should be 50 mm
or 100 mm, and in the case of small signs, it should be 50 mm. Where the message is
long, as for instance in "NO PARKING" and "NO STOPPING & NO STANDING" signs, the
message may be broken with two lines and the size of letters may be varied in the lines
so that the definition plate is not too large. The lettering on definition plates will be all in
upper case letters. Example for Definition Plate is given in Plate I.
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14. MANDATORY/REGULATORY SIGNS
14.5 STOP Sign
14.5.2 Combination with markings
The stop sign shall always be used in combination with certain road markings, such as stop
line and the word "STOP" marked on the pavement vide IRC: 35 "Code of Practice for Road
Markings".
14.5.3 Size, shape and colour
The sign (shown in Fig. 14.01) shall be octagonal in shape and shall have red background
and white border. The word "STOP" written in white (in English or local language) with
150 mm height letters, centrally positioned. The height of the octagon and border shall
be as per Table 14.1.
Table 14.1 Sizes and Dimensions of 'STOP' signs

Approach Size Height Border Font Size (mm)

speed on minor (mm) (mm)
road
Up to 50 kmph Small 750 25 125
51 -65 kmph Normal 900 30 150
> 65 kmph Large 1200 40 225
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14.6 GIVE WAY Sign
Table 14.3 Size and Dimension of Give Way Sign

Approach speed on Size Side Border

minor road (mm) (mm)
Up to 50 kmph Small 600 45
51 - 80 kmph Normal 900 70
> 80 kmph Large 1200 90
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14.9.9 Speed limit Sign in Urban Area

The speed limit sign in cities shall be placed on each of the roads where the speed changes or
on the exit arms of the junctions. The vehicles travelling through a junction are reassured
about the speed limit on the new road by placing a speed limit sign at 25 m from the
intersection. The size of speed limit sign (the first sign indicating the changed speed on major
road after crossing the junction) shall be 600 mm, except for the dual carriageway roads with
speed limit of 50 kmph or more, where the sign size shall increase to 900 mm. The repeater
sign shall be placed on all roads at interval given in Table 14.4

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14.11.6 Minimum Speed Limit

Where engineering judgment determines that slow speeds, especially on an expressway,
might impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, the Minimum Speed Limit sign
may be installed to indicate the minimum legal speed (Fig. 14.51). This shall be used on
specific sections to avoid the slow moving vehicles to improve the efficiency of the traffic
movement. It is compulsory to install the "Restriction End" sign at the end of the minimum
speed limit sign when restriction of minimum speed is applied for a section of the road.
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 15. CAUTIONARY/WARNING SIGNS
15.2 Size, Shape and Colour
The signs shall be in the shape of an equilateral triangle, with apex pointing upwards. It
shall have red border and black symbols on white background. The size and placement
details shall be as per Table 15.1.
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15.3 Location and Mounting

Warning signs should not be mounted on the same post as a STOP or GIVE WAY or speed
limit sign, nor mounted on a traffic signal post. When mounted with other types of sign,
the triangular warning signs should always be mounted at the top. Where two or more
warning signs are erected together, the sign relating to the hazard first encountered
should be placed uppermost. When a new sign is added to an existing post, it is important
to ensure that the correct order is maintained, if necessary adjusting the position of the
existing signs. The warning signs should normally be located depending upon 85th
percentile speed of private cars (as given in Table 15.1) in advance of the hazard warned
against. Distances may be increased on steep downhill gradients to account for higher
speed. Where map type advance direction signs are posted in advance of the
intersections, the warning signs relating to these junctions could be avoided to eliminate
the clustering of signs.
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15.63 Chevron Signs

At the curved alignment of a roadway, the chevron signs shall be used to inform the
drivers about sharpness of curve. The chevron sign shall be a vertical rectangle and shall
be installed always on the outside of a turn or curve, in line with and at approximately
right angle to approaching traffic. Spacing of Chevron signs should be such that the road
user always has at least two signs in view, until the change in alignment eliminates the
need for the sign as given in Table 15.3. Chevron signs should be visible for a sufficient
distance to provide the road user with adequate time to react to the change in alignment.
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15.64 Hazard Marker (OHM)
Road side hazard like bridges, trees which are coming in the roadway are to be illuminated
by retro reflective Object Hazard Markers (OHM) and for a left side hazard Fig. 15.76 shall
be used and for a right hazard Fig. 15.77 shall be used. If traffic is allowed to pass on
either side the triangular island Two Hazard Marker Fig. 15.78 shall be used.
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 16. INFORMATORY SIGNS
16.2 The signs are classified under the following sub-heads keeping in view
their design and application:
1) Direction and Place Identification signs
2) Facility Information signs
3) Other Useful Information Signs
4) Parking Signs, and
5) Flood Gauge
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16.3 Direction and Place Identification Signs

16.3.1 Shape, Colour and Language of Inscription
 The colour pattern for direction signs are given in Table 8.3 and size of the letters shall
be as per Table 11.1.
 The English font shall be "Transport Medium" and Hindi shall be "Hindi7".
 The design principles are presented pictorially in Figs. 16.01 to 16.16.

16.3.2 Advance Direction Signs (Stack Type)

 Names/ Group of names of places shall be separated by a line as shown in Fig. 16.01.
 On high speed roads where the junctions are complex in layout, large size signs (map
type signs) shown in Fig. 16.02 may be employed.
 In situation where rotary (roundabout) inter-section exists, signs as shown in Fig.
16.03 may be employed.
 The sign shall normally be located at a distance from the intersection as given in Table
11.1.
 The Advance Direction Signs shall be for showing directions and destinations with
arrows, and whenever applicable can be with route numbers also.
 In a roundabout junction sign, the recommended minimum angle for cut-out is 25°.
The purpose of the cut-out is to emphasize that all traffic must travel in a clockwise
direction.
16.3.2.2 Siting of Advance Direction Signs
 Junction Reference point: The distance in advance of junction at which Advance
Direction signs should be sited is measured from the junction reference point.
 In case of Interchange, the point at which carriageway widens to form the exit road
and for at-grade Junctions from:
• STOP or Give Way line

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 • The point at which the carriageway first widens to form additional turning lanes or
slip roads.
16.3.2.3 Siting of Advance Direction Signs for Interchanges
 The standard distances at which Advance Direction sign would be sited are shown in
Table 11.1. This shall be applicable for expressways or highways with major
interchanges.
 However, if the distance between two successive junctions is less than 1 km which is
a common phenomenon in most of the urban areas in the country, only Advance
Direction sign shall be used.
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 For grade separated intersections, (i.e. where the traffic movement occurs on two or
more than two levels), two advanced direction signs should be provided.
a. The first Advance Direction sign is located 750 m to 1.5 km from the exit, which
should be preferably gantry mounted sign.
b. The second advance direction sign is located 250 m to 750 m from the exit. It should
be gantry mounted; but at intersections where the number of through lanes remains
constant, it may be shoulder mounted. Additionally a map type and stack type
direction sign can be installed at 100m to 250m ahead of exit (Fig. 16.14).

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16.3.3 Direction Sign (Flag Type)
 The placement of the direction sign shall be as per the provisions of Table 11.1.
 This design principle may also be used for signs indicating street names in urban areas,
which may be designed for the font height of 30 mm to 50 mm.
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16.3.4 Reassurance Sign or Route Confirmatory Sign
The sign (Fig. 16.05) should be erected on important roads beyond an intersection or junction,
to reassure a driver of a vehicle that the desired direction is being followed. A route
confirmatory sign shall normally show the route number, destination ahead and distance to
the destination. If two place names along with their distances have to be shown, the upper
name should be of the place with larger population or maximum importance on the route and
the next name being of the place next in the order of importance.
16.3.4.1 Siting of Reassurance Sign
It should be placed 60 m beyond the far shoulder or curb line of the intersected road of the
junction. In urban areas, reassurance sign may be placed in between intersections so as to
keep the user informed. The names of the destination places should be the same as shown
on the advance direction signs placed before the intersection. For major interchanges, it
should be placed within a distance of 200 m from the last point at which vehicle could join
the main carriageway. It may also be used along a route at spacing not greater than 10 km on
highways or expressways.

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16.3.7 Toll Booth Ahead
The sign is used to indicate the location of toll booth where fee are levied and collected from
the road users for their use of road facilities. The sign shown in Fig. 16.08 is to be provided.
The sign is posted 500 to 1000 m ahead of the toll booth.
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17 FACILITY INFORMATION SIGNS

17.1 Size, Shape and Colour
 These signs shall be rectangular and have a blue background, while black symbol
shall be displayed in White Square to indicate the facility.
 The size of the normal sign shall be 800 mm x 600 mm and of the small sized sign 600
mm x 450 mm.
 For Expressways, the size shall be 1200 mm x 900 mm.
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17.10 U-turn Ahead

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18 OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION SIGNS

18.1 Parking Signs (Figs. 18.01 to 18.06)
The parking sign, which may be set up parallel to the axis of the road, should indicate the
places where parking of vehicles is authorized. The sign shall be square of 600 mm x 600 mm
size. It shall bear the letter P' in white colour. The background colour shall be blue with white
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19 SIGNS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

19.2 Size, Shape and Colour
These signs shall be rectangular and have a blue background, while white symbol shall be
displayed to indicate the facility. The size of the normal sign shall be 600 mm x 600 mm and
the symbol shall be as shown in Fig. 19.01.

20 ROUTE MARKER SIGNS

20.1 State Highway Route Marker Sign
The State Highway Route Marker Sign shall consist of a shield with retro reflective green
colour base and white symbol and border on a rectangular plate of 450 mm X 600 mm. The
shape, size and spacing of letters and numerals shall conform to those given in Fig. 20.01.
Location: The sign shall be erected on State Highway route ahead of the intersections of other
important roads, immediately after the intersections as confirmatory Route Markers, at
suitable locations through built-up areas, and at such other point that may be considered
necessary for guiding the through traffic. On roads without kerbs, the sign shall be erected
with clear distance of two to three meters from the edge of the carriageway. On the roads

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with kerbs, the sign post shall not be less than 600 mm away from the edge of the kerb. The
Distance (along the State Highway) of the sign from the junction, on either side of it shall be
100 to 150 m. Also, it shall be fixed on the left hand side as one approaches the junction.

20.2 National Highway Route Marker Sign

National Highway Route Marker Sign shall consist of a shield with retro reflective yellow
colour base and black symbol and border on a rectangular plate of 450 mm X 600 mm. The
shape, size and spacing of letters and numerals shall conform to those given in Fig. 20.02.
Location: The sign shall be erected on National Highway route ahead of the intersections of
other important roads, immediately after the intersections as confirmatory Route Markers,
at suitable locations through built-up areas, and at such other point that may be considered
necessary for guiding the through traffic. On roads without kerbs, the sign shall be erected
with clear distance of two to three meters from the edge of the carriageway. On the roads
with kerbs, the sign post shall not be less than 600 mm away from the edge of the kerb.
Distance (along the National Highway) of the sign from the junction, on either side of it, shall
be 100 to 150 m. Also, it shall be fixed on the left hand side as one approaches the junction.

20.3 Asian Highway Route Marker Sign

The Asian Highway Route Marker Sign shall consist of a shield with retro-reflective green
colour base and white symbol and border on a rectangular plate of 450 mm x 600 mm. The
sign consists of the letters AH followed by the number in Arabic numerals assigned to the
route. The shape, size and spacing of letters and numerals shall conform to those given in Fig.
20.03.
Location: The sign shall be erected on Asian Highway route ahead of the intersections of other
important roads, or Asian Highways immediately after the intersections as confirmatory AH
Route Markers, at suitable locations through built-up areas, and at such other point that may
be considered necessary to advise the travelers of the presence of the Asian Highways. On
roads without kerbs, the sign post shall be erected with clear distance of two or three meters
from the edge of the carriageway. On roads with kerbs, the sign post shall not be less than
600 mm away from the edge of the kerb. The distance of these sign posts from the junction
along the Asian Highway, on either side of it, shall be 150 to 200 m. Also, it shall be fixed on
the left hand side as one approaches the junction. The sign shall be supplemented to the NH,
SH or Expressway Route Marker Sign depending upon the category of the road that is
classified also as part of the Asian Highway network within the country.

20.4 Expressway Route Marker Sign

The Expressway Route Marker Sign shall consist of a shield with retro-reflective blue colour
base and black symbol border on a rectangular plate of 450 mm x 600 mm. The shape, size
and spacing of letters and numerals shall conform to those given in Fig. 20.04.
Location: The sign shall be erected on Expressway route ahead of the intersections of other
important roads, immediately after the intersections as confirmatory Route Markers, at
suitable locations through built-up areas, and at such other point that may be considered

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necessary for guiding the through traffic. On roads without kerbs, the sign post shall be
erected with clear distance of two or three meters from the edge of the carriageway. On roads
with kerbs, the sign post shall not be less than 600 mm away from the edge of the kerb.
Distance (along the Expressways) of the sign from the junction (interchange), on either side
of it, shall be 1 50 to 200 m. Also, it shall be fixed on the left hand side as one approaches the
junction (interchange).

21 GUIDELINES FOR SIGNS ON EXPRESSWAYS

2.1.2 Colour of Signs
The colour of ail type of signs except direction informatory sign shall be same as that of Plate-
I, and Plate-ll whereas for direction information signs, it shall be white lettering, border and
arrows on blue background. In case of facility signs, black symbol is displayed within White
Square in blue background.

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